The Shadow Returns
by Gemstarzah
Summary: Bakura has his sights set on the throne of Egypt once more. Unfortuantely, there will be those who step in the way, like a young Pharaoh, and their friends. Will the Lord of Darkness get his wish this time? Or will the reemergence of a known Pharaoh who defeated him last time, prevail in stopping him?
1. Trouble Strikes

Several generations in Egypt had passed since the rule of the Pharaoh who had banished Zork from the world. It was not believed that trouble would come again, and that the Millennium Items would keep them all safe from harm. Sometimes there were thieves to deal with, or wars to be fought with rival countries, but otherwise, all seemed well.

Pharaoh Nima ruled without any troubles, she had inherited the Puzzle from her father a year ago, after he had died in a battle that the Egyptians had been successful in. _Father might be gone, but I will not allow his kingdom to fall into ruin because I am the one in his place._ She had been born late in her father's rule, and as such was only sixteen when he'd fallen.

At least there seemed to be no Shadow creatures that the Sacred Items were able to find anymore. Each generation had felt safer than the last, this she knew, after all the lessons in history she'd had from her tutors.

"Pharaoh!"

Nima sighed, turning to look at the one who had intruded on her thoughts. She liked to spend the last hours of the day on her own, reflecting on what had happened that day. Everyone knew not to intrude during this time, unless it was something very important.

"What is it?" she asked, looking at the bowing guard. "Why are you interrupting me now?" She couldn't help but feel annoyed at the interruption.

"We're not sure exactly, Pharaoh, but something seems to be causing a disturbance down in the town. The Royal Court have been sent for, your Highness included."

Nima rolled her eyes. _Probably another thief who keeps evading trouble._ "Very well. Have my horse saddled. I will be there shortly."

She knew she couldn't avoid what was going on down there for too long. The people would want to see that they were cared for, and a part of that included helping deal with any troublemakers that were found.

The sight that greeted them in the Marketplace was not the one she expected. This was no mere thief, even if he was an uncommon albino amongst the Egyptians. His face was scarred and there was madness to his eyes that Nima almost found disquieting.

"Ah so the guards summoned their ruler did they?"

There was amusement in this man's voice.

"A woman this time too, how interesting. Is this really where the line of Pharaoh Seto ends? I think so indeed."

Nima glared at the insolent thief, from where she sat on her black stallion. "And who are you to imply that my family line might be at its end, thief?"

She noticed that things seemed to be darkening around them, and that people were fleeing in the direction her guards were sending them to. _At least no one will be hurt by whoever this thief is._ She did notice however, the lack of her Court, but that was no issue. Nima knew she had been fast to get down here.

"Only one who has tried more than once to remove the Pharaoh from the Throne. I daresay you don't have the strength of your fathers in you; after all, he must have been desperate if you are his only heir, not to mention not a male. That throne belongs to me, and with you as my opponent… well, let's just say that made things easy."

Nima frowned. "I might be a woman, but I am still powerful, just like my ancestors!"

The man sneered at her. "I don't think so. Now… why don't you just take off that Puzzle and leave it on the ground… eh? Make this all easier on yourself, and give in without a fight."

Nima glared at him. "That's no way to talk to your ruler. I won't give in without a fight, and soon the Court will be here as well."

The golden DiaDhank on her arm opened, waiting for her to summon her creature.

"Leave now, or face the wrath of my creature. You do not belong here!"

The man laughed. "Oh you're coming with me when I leave."

She knew that if she vanished, Egypt would indeed be crippled. Nima knew she was needed here, not wherever this man wanted her.

"I summon Valkyrie!"

A long dark-blue haired, steel blue winged woman appeared. In one hand she held a red spear, and she wore a yellow sleeveless dress, and long dark blue gloves.

"Send him away Valkyrie!"

The things that happened in the next moments were impossible for Nima to follow. She saw Valkyrie taking to the sky, raising her spear. Then a bolt of energy hit Valkyrie, causing Nima some serious pain, and then something was grabbing her, forcing her to stay quiet, and lifting her up into the air.

Something shook her, and she watched with horror as her Puzzle fell to the ground, somehow not breaking apart from the impact, and she saw the Court had arrived, looking up in shock.

All this she took in, utterly confused, before the lack of air caused her to faint.


	2. Summoned

_Egypt has peace._ While there had been threats from time to time, none of them had come close to being true trouble. Atem wandered in the Afterlife, saddened in some ways from how he'd come to be there.

 _I had to face Zork a second time, and would not have won, had Yugi not been there to help me._

Yugi. The boy who had put together the Millennium Puzzle, and who had stood by him for so long. They had become very close friends, and Atem did indeed miss him. Indeed, Atem knew that he looked at Yugi and saw a younger version of himself, like a younger brother. Something he had not had when he first lived.

 _He has his own life to live … whereas I've already lived mine._

Twice.

He knew not of any other Pharaoh who could say that. Both times, he'd had friends, new and old, to be there for him. They had helped him to accomplish things that were not accomplishable by one man alone.

 _Now I have had, long ago … but it is not the same as I thought it would be when I originally live._

Even though he had Mana, Isis, Mahado, Karim, Shadi and Seto around him, as well as his parents; he felt as though something was missing. He knew what: Joey, Tristan, and Téa and of course the closest of all his friends, Yugi. Even Seto Kaiba and Mokuba Kaiba were missed, and that was saying something. Perhaps it had been the rivalry between the elder Kaiba brother and himself.

 _Too many adventures._

He knew he would not see them again.

He'd known that living with those from the future would only be temporary. He should not have become so close to them, and yet, it happened. He had not been able to keep that from happening, and now he missed them more than a several thousand years old Pharaoh likely should.

 _If only there was a way for me to see them again._

He knew by now, it had been five years since the duel against Yugi, and that only the Gods could make that possible. It did not seem likely that his friends would see him again.

They only likely would meet again if there were some sort of trouble that needed their help. He knew that if he needed help, Yugi would come if he could. There was no chance that he would allow Atem to face something alone.

 _Perhaps that is what I need, for something to go wrong._ It was unlikely, but, there was always a chance.

"My Necklace tells me that the great Pharaoh had other friends, not from here that helped him defeat the darkness."

The man the woman spoke to, shook his head. He held a thin golden rod embellished with a round wider end that bore the Eye of Horus in one hand loosely.

"How can that be so, Hatshepsut? Are they the ones who wielded our Items before we were born?"

Hatshepsut shook her head.

"No, Menes, while my Necklace has told me of those who once wielded our Items, the Pharaoh it seems has dealt with this trouble twice before. The first time, he only had his royal court, as our Pharaoh does. The second time he had other friends whom he met where I cannot see, who helped as well as the court."

Menes shook his head. "This sounds impossible. If there were others, aside from those who wielded our Items… where are they recorded aside from what your Necklace has told you?"

Hatshepsut had been about to counter his words, when someone else spoke, coming into the room. While one of this man's eyes was a normal human eye, the other was a golden ball, with the same Eye marking as her necklace, and Menes' rod.

"Give her some credit, Menes. We need a way to get our Pharaoh back from whomever took her. If these other people can help, then we need to summon them here as soon as possible. I will speak with Ahmose and see what he can do about summoning them."

Menes frowned. "Last I checked I was head of the Royal Court, not you Ramessu. If you think they can help us, then you do realise we may have to give our Items up to them? If we do, we are the ones who will be powerless while they are here."

Ramessu smiled. "Never mind about that, Menes. If I have to give up my Eye for a little while, I will. It is up to Ahmose now."

Nima coughed where she was lying. There was dust everywhere that she could see, and she tried to move, to try and get somewhere she could find out where she was. Something she couldn't do very easily it seemed. She could feel rough rope around her wrists and ankles.

Her mouth was sore, and she felt something tugging at the edges of his mouth. _So I can't call for help I suppose._ Her eyes looked about, searching the room. There was no one else in there, but one thing she did see, with some shock, was her DiaDhank hanging from a hook embedded in the wall furthest from her. _Someone will pay for taking that from me!_ There was fury in her now, as she struggled for a few moments trying to get free.

Finding she was unable to, Nima gave one fleeting thought before she tired herself too much from struggling. _Grandfather who's name I don't know, please… help Egypt!_


	3. What?

The game shop still flourished, even if his grandfather was no longer around to run it. Not long after Atem had left them, Solomon Motou had had a fatal heart attack, and as a promise to his grandfather, Yugi had kept the store running.

People knew his name, and as a result, the store had never really been busier. _I might not duel as much, unless I have to defend my title, but people still know me when they see me._ Kids even came to ask him for advice when it came to their decks.

As it was, he was waiting for one such kid to come and pick up his deck. At least Kaiba knows that it wasn't all Atem who was the King of Games. Thinking of the Egyptian Pharoah made his heart ache. They'd become so very close, even his friends weren't aware of the nature of his relationship with Atem. The only one who had known, was Yugi's grandpa, but he never missed anything. Keeping such a relationship from him had been impossible.

 _Not like I could have told Tristan, Joey or Tea anyway, they wouldn't understand it._ Yugi had also noticed that Tea at one point had fancied Atem herself, and he was glad that Atem had remained… indifferent and unaware that she was interested in him.

Yugi glanced at the clock hanging above the door to his shop. If the kid wasn't here in five minutes, he would lock the door and head upstairs to the living space. A living space that felt too open and empty for just one person, and while his friends had come over every so often, they couldn't fill it no matter how much they tried.

The minutes trickled by as fast as a snail could move, and he considered shutting the door early. It was clear the kid wasn't coming tonight, and why should he sit around waiting for him? Yugi started toward the door, ready to lock it for the night.

Only to stop dead in his tracks.

There, looking in at him from the other side of the door, was Malik Ishtar.

A few moments past, and Yugi blinked. He could not be seeing one of his friends from Egypt after all this time. It seemed a little strange that Malik would come here, without warning like this. Malik hadn't been back to visit after Duellist Kingdom, instead he chose to stay in Egypt, watching over Atem's tomb as was his destiny as a tomb keeper.

 _Last time I saw him was in that Ceremonial Duel, the day Atem and I were separated_. This was too strange for Yugi to think about. _Surely I am seeing things._ He had to be seeing a mirage or something, since there was no chance Malik would come to Domino without letting someone know he was coming.

There had been no word from any of his friends either that Malik was coming, and Yugi knew someone would have told him if they knew about this. _How did he get here without being seen?_

He paused, one hand on the door handle. _Perhaps i should step outside and see if he's really there. If he is, well, i will be able to see him once I'm outside._ He also might be able to see that kid coming whom he was waiting for in the first place.

Yugi pushed the door, and stepped out of the shop, only to find he wasn't where he thought he would be... _What?_


End file.
